B O///////// M O B I L I T Y /// S C O O T E R S G E T /////// T H E I R O W N ///// C O M P A R I S O N ////////////// T E S T . ///////////////// B Y //// J O H N P E A R L E Y ////////// H U F F M A N O T S C O O T B O O G IE ///// P H O T O G R A P H Y ///////////////// B Y /////// R O Y R I T C H I E obility scooters are ubiquitous. At hot-rod shows, they fly in squadron formation with each pilot trailing a gray ponytail. Take your dog out for a constitutional <strong>and</strong> one will whiz by, forcing Fido off the sidewalk <strong>and</strong> into the gutter. Occasionally someone will get drunk, steal one, <strong>and</strong> drive it into a canal. Trader Joe’s should add banking to the sweeper through the produce department; Walgreens <strong>and</strong> CVS sell them on their websites; <strong>and</strong> the scoots are now a go-to reference for jokes about growing old, alongside walk-in bathtubs <strong>and</strong> reverse mortgages. The future may soon bring autonomous flying cars with onboard Chipotle service. But the present belongs to crossover SUVs <strong>and</strong> mobility scooters. So, here’s this comparison test. There’s a crossover first drive on page 094. You may think that mobility scooters are a fad with the half-life of selfie sticks, but demographics argue otherwise. There are about 75 million baby boomers in the United States, <strong>and</strong> the youngest of them turn 53 this year. The oldest are 71. They’re aging into that part of life when bodies become fragile <strong>and</strong>, while modern medicine means they’ll live long lives, many will need help getting around. Right behind are 66 million Gen-Xers, followed by millennials, whose numbers now match the boomers. You may not be in the market now, but we are all potential scooter owners. Throw in other sources of decreased mobility (including illness <strong>and</strong> obesity), <strong>and</strong> at least one report projects that the worldwide mobility market, which includes everything from canes to scooters, will grow from $7.7 billion in 2015 to $14.6 billion by 2024. To oversimplify, there are three-wheel scooters, four-wheel scooters, <strong>and</strong> motorized wheelchairs. And they’re virtually all electrically powered using lead-acid batteries. There are dozens of different models, most built for sidewalks or the great indoors, <strong>and</strong> they top out at about 5 mph. But scooters for use on trails <strong>and</strong> paths are becoming common, <strong>and</strong> more-stylish models are coming. We recruited three for this surprisingly serious comparison. C/D knows vehicles, but these scooters are medical devices. And no one scoot will be right for everyone. This also means that scooters are prescribed by doctors <strong>and</strong> often paid for by health insurance or Medicare. Abuses may occur. In 2015, the company Hoveround, which had often advertised on The Price Is Right during the break before the showcase round that it could get patients into a scooter for “little or no cost,” was accused by the Department of Health <strong>and</strong> Human Services’ inspector general of billing Medicare $27 million for mobility devices that weren’t medically necessary. Hoveround was invited to this test but turned down the opportunity with the explanation that it doesn’t want any publicity at this time. So, well, there’s that. These scooters enable the personal mobility of people who would otherwise be restricted by physical challenges. But that doesn’t explain the complete lack of cupholders. Opposite top: You’re looking at 3.3 horsepower there, bud. Opposite right center: We roll three deep . . . carrying a head of celery in our basket, yo. /// 3. GOLDEN TECHNOLOGIES BUZZAROUND EX This is the classic mobility scooter: simple in its engineering, lightweight <strong>and</strong> easily transported on a rack behind a sedan, comfortable for anyone under 330 pounds, <strong>and</strong> timelessly style-free. At only $2199, the Buzzaround EX is built for tight budgets <strong>and</strong> unpretentious personalities. It blends in like a Camry. ATV makers stopped building three-wheelers years ago, <strong>and</strong> the mobility industry seems likely to follow. The single front wheel keeps the tiller steering light enough for anyone with limited arm strength to pilot, but there’s an inherent instability that can be felt as the Buzzaround hits its 5.4-mph governed top speed. Hitting the offce’s legendary Indianapolis corner where the C/D art department transitions into the editorial cubicle farm, the rear-drive Buzzaround would gently lift the right rear wheel, with the rider feeling a queasy <strong>and</strong> tipsy sensation. It h<strong>and</strong>led every mall, park, road, <strong>and</strong> indoor surface we threw at it <strong>and</strong> it never rolled. But it sometimes felt as if it would. 064 . COMPARO . CAR AND DRIVER . JUL/<strong>2017</strong>
WHILL MODEL A Price: $12,999 • Power: 2.4 hp Weight: 247 lb • Capacity: 220 lb 0–5 mph: 1.5 sec GOLDEN TECH BUZZAROUND EX Price: $2199 • Power: 0.4 hp Weight: 151 lb • Capacity: 330 lb 0–5 mph: 3.8 sec PRIDE MOBILITY VICTORY 10 LX Price: $2765 • Power: 0.5 hp Weight: 229 lb • Capacity: 400 lb 0–5 mph: 3.4 sec 065
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